Found at the MoMa

Last night I found this wonderful, multi-colored, textile rug incorporated into an exhibit at the MoMA. It was not only striking but reminded me of home, friendship and love. Enjoy. Xx-M.

Pillow Talk

Pillows really make a difference. Love these textiles. Photo via Justina Blakeney

Quilting Inspiration

The Patriotic Holiday has me seeing red, white and blue. Taking my design mood to the next level, I started looking on JoAnn Fabrics for some cotton fabrics and found a sweet color combo to make a simple block quilt. Sew one up for yourself and get inspired by perusing some downloadable quilt patterns here or join one of our Quilting Workshops!
Happy 4th!
xo - Katie

Color

There's something about color that makes me smile. Its inviting, unexpected and confident.

While traveling through Del Mar and San Diego this week I've seen so many incredible colors incorporated into architecture, textiles and plant life. New York doesn't applaud color like south western cities and it's nice being around such liberating expressions of color. It makes me want to dance or quilt or sew a pair of floral summer shorts.

All this to say, don't shy away from the chance of adding a bit of color to your life. It'll definitely force you to look beyond the boundaries of black and white.

Xo Moni

Banner O' Triangles

Our office space needed a little pick-me-up, so I broke out the scrap fabric and the scissors and sewed up a sweet DIY banner to add some texture and color.

Here's how...

 

Materials: 

Fabric, Scissors, Pinking Shears, Ruler, Pins, Thread, Sewing Machine

Step 1: Chose your fabrics

Combine different fabric prints that share warm and cool color tones. This means pairing up the  green, blue, and aqua fabrics or matching up the red, yellow, pink, and orange fabrics. The similar color palette will help unify the different fabric prints in the banner.

Step 2: Cut the banner streamer 

Using the pinking shears, cut a banner streamer 3 inches wide and at the desired length.

Step 3: Cut out the triangles

Cut the triangles so that all 3 sides were all 10 inches long. If you plan on hanging this in a doorway or in a window, you may want to consider cutting 2 triangles of each fabric so that the fabric print can be seen from both front and back views.

Step 4: Pin the banner streamer and triangles together

Iron the banner streamer in half along its length. Evenly space the triangles along the banner streamer and pin in place between the fold of the streamer.

Step 5: Sew the banner streamer and triangles together

Stitch the banner streamer and triangles together 1/4" away from the cut edge of the banner streamer. 

Step 6: Cut slits into triangles

Add a bit of movement to the banner by cutting 1" slits into the triangles. 

We would love to see your version of the "Banner O' Triangles" - comment and share your image link!

Happy Sewing!

xo Katie

Lace

We were so thrilled when a Brooklyn neighbor dropped off a box of lace and said "Take it".

How often does that happen?

Not often enough. Xx- Moni

Paris

I'll be headed to Paris soon and at the top of my must do list is to find inspiring textiles for our shops. This image is of a vintage scarf I recently purchased while traveling through New Mexico. I absolutely love its color pallet and tribal feel. My fingers are crossed that I'll bring back similar discoveries from France. Stay tuned :-) xx- Moni

Patterned Pots

Give last years pots a great textile make-over and it's easy too! All you need is a couple of terracotta pots, Mod Podge, a brush, and a couple of fabrics.

 

THE STEPS:

1. Cut a length of fabric that is large enough to wrap around your pot
2. Cut slits in the fabric around the top to allow the fabric to lay smoothly.
3. Begin applying your fabric by coating a small section of the pot with Mod Podge and stick the fabric edge to the pot. Once it is pressed flat and in place, coat that section with Mod Podge.
4. Continue this process around the pot, ignoring the top and bottom of the pot. 
5. Once the outside is complete, trim the top and bottom fabric edges to extend 1" outside of the pot.
6. Starting at the top, fold the fabric into the pot in pleats so that it lays nice and flat around the rim. Coat in Mod Podge. 
7. Repeat this step for the bottom making sure that your pleats lay smooth so the bottom of your pot remains level. 
8. Give the pot one final coat, and make sure any loose flaps are coated.
9. Allow your pot to dry.

 * Recommended for indoor use only as rain will wash away the Mod Podge. 

Images via Christine Chitnis

Textile Tuesdays: Sub Saharan Africa

 Tribal Drum Performance

Last Fall I had the opportunity to study in Ghana.   Their colorful fashions perfectly suit their vibrant and open minded culture. The fabrics they wear are intricate and beautiful to look at, but the meanings behind them go far deeper.  The cloth weaving process is very spiritual.  Certain ethnic groups in Sub-Saharan Africa believe that weaving should  be done only in daylight hours because to work at night would be to weave silence and darkness into the cloth.  Unique patterns also identify different tribes.

Ghanaian woman selling textiles

Kente cloth, the most famous of Ghanaian cloths, is a type of silk fabric made of interwoven cloth strips.  It is a royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance.

Weaving the Kente cloth

                                   Finished Kente cloth

Each color of Kente cloth has a different symbolic meaning:

Black- Maturity
Blue- Harmony
Green- Spiritual Renewal
Gold- Spiritual Purity
Grey- Cleansing
Maroon- Healing
Pink-Female essence of life
Purple-Feminine aspects of life
Red-Death
Silver- Joy
White- Festive Occasion
Yellow- Fertility

Titi Ademola, a Nigerian/Ghanaian fashion designer, works with Ghanaian influences to create her pieces.  Look at her collection.

Alix :)